To read the texts click on the texts: Wis 7:22-8:1; Lk 17:20-25
The first two verses of this section (17:20-21) are exclusive to
Luke though Matthew 24:23 and Mark 13:21 contain part of Luke 17:21. In Luke
the Pharisees pose the question about the future coming of the kingdom. In his
response, Jesus speaks not of the time when the kingdom will come, but about
the very nature of the kingdom. Since the pronoun “you” is plural, Jesus’
saying that the kingdom is “among you” is unlikely to mean that the kingdom is
within a group of individuals. Rather it seems to mean that the kingdom is in
Jesus who is among them at that time.
The next verse (17:22) begins the discourse of the coming of the
Son of Man. There will be a long period when the disciples long to see even a
glimpse of their deliverance (one of the days of the Son of Man). Though some
will point here and others there, the disciples must not be taken in. When the
Son of Man does appear he will be visible to all everywhere. However, before he
comes, he will have to endure suffering. The Son of Man who comes will be the
Son of Man who has suffered and been rejected.
Obsession with the afterlife does not help us to live fully the
life we have here and now. Too many questions about death and what will happen
after death result in life passing us by. While as Christians we do believe in
the life to come, we are also instructed in many places in the Gospels that the
life to come will not be a totally different kind of life, but a life which
will continue in a fuller way the present one we have. Our focus therefore
ought to be on living this life fully at every moment of every day.
Well said, Fr. Errol, Very inspiring and motivating last sentecne. We worry so much about the future, death etc. that we live a life full of unnecessary worries.
ReplyDeleteThe first reading describes Wisdom in an elaborate and lucid manner. However how can we obtain this Wisdom? Is it available through education, experience or only through Divine intervention. I feel that though the first two may have a role to play, it is Divine intervention that really decides whether we are wise or not.
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